High school football: Meet McGuinness' 'Million Dollar Line'

Johnathan Higgins was just throwing out different nicknames until one stuck.

When “Million Dollar Line” was thrown out, the nickname resonated with the Bishop McGuinness offensive line and has become a symbol of the team.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Jonathan Olay, left, Andrew Williams, Luke Raczkowski and Dan Christiansen, members of the Bishop McGuinness offensive line, which call themselves "The Million Dollar Line, pose at their football field in Oklahoma City, OK, Monday, June 17, 2013, Photo by Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman

“We definitely embrace it,” said left tackle Dan Christiansen about the nickname. “Say we're having a bad practice, obviously (assistant) coach (Bryan) Pierce will take out the line, saying we're playing like a one hundred-dollar line or one thousand-dollar line. It definitely makes us have to hold up our expectations.”

The moniker is used similar to the one for the Washington Redskins' offensive line during the 1980s and early 1990s. “The Hogs” helped Washington win three Super Bowl titles. But McGuinness head coach Justin Jones wanted to avoid that name simply because he feels his senior-filled offensive line is too athletic for that.

“It kind of started tongue-in-cheek, but it has grown into something we identify with, especially these guys,” he said. “It's a feather in their cap to be called the ‘MDL.'”

“MDL” features Christiansen, Higgins at left guard, Luke Raczkowski at center, Jonathan Olay at right tackle and Andrew Williams at right guard. Higgins, though, is getting the most attention in recruiting circles, and he recently attended camps at Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

MORE FROM NEWSOK

by Jacob Unruh

Reporter

Jacob Unruh is a graduate of Northeastern State University. He was born in Cherokee and raised near Vera where he attended Caney Valley High School.During his tenure at NSU, Unruh wrote for The Northeastern (NSU's student newspaper), the...